1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of regenerating gels for use in liquid chromatography which have been contaminated by longtime use and have become less active in separation performance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, liquid chromatography is used not only as an analytical means but also as one of the industrial separation means in many fields such as the food industry, the medical product industry, the chemical industry (synthesis or purification of intermediate products), the inorganic industry and the fiber industry. In such industrial fields, since a large quantity of expensive gels are packed in enormous columns, it is very important to maintain the life of the gel in the columns for a long time. But after a long period of operation of liquid chromatography, the gel is contaminated and its separation performance is gradually lowered, so that in due time it is necessary to replace the gel with new one. A gel having a high separation performance and a high treating ability is generally expensive, and therefore several proposals have been made for the regeneration of gels in order to diminish such consumption of the gel. For example, it is known to remove the impurities by decantation and to wash the gel with a solution of a neutral detergent. By such means, the impurities which have adhered to the gel surface or come into the interstices among the gel particles can be removed to some extent, but such methods are nearly ineffective for the contaminants in the pores of the gel particles or the contaminants at the active Points which are chemically combined and introduced as one of the components of the gel material. Therefore, the necessity of developing means regenerating gels in a more effective manner is strongly desired.